The unique experiences of raising a brain-injured child and her two brothers.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

What's Been Goin' On?

With the school year coming to an end, I thought I would just post an update on some of the highlights of our last few months in the Haden household. I know everyone’s lives are full and busy, but looking through my pictures on the computer shows me just how much fun we, as a family, have together, and how much we are blessed by God each and every day.

No, I’m not talking about taking the most fabulous vacations, spending the most money, or even being in the best health. Far from it. Some of the biggest joys I experience are from the cheap, simple, traditional ways of filling each day to the top. (Although we have plenty of boring, do-nothing days. I just don’t have pictures of those!)

We all enjoyed Easter morning, but Elise wore the biggest smile. She must have just sensed that we were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus that day!

Pre-Easter Cookout

Forget “Kiss the Cook”… I’m gonna go for the grab!

Elise enjoyed the nice weather outside in her PJs, although she did want to hit herself as usual. I am attributing the Diet Coke in my 3-year-old’s hand to his Popi!

Dying Easter eggs with family. I wish Elise could join in on the fun.

Galaxy Drive-In

We love going to the Galaxy Drive-In in Ennis, Tx at least once a year. It is a unique experience that I never had as a kid. We have taken Elise with us before, but she ended up being very bored and crying on and off. This time, we left her with my mom. The boys loved it, though...

Small Scare

Very long story short: Several months ago, while eating out after church, my baby boy, Ty, had a seizure. For a mama with TONS of experience with daily seizures from Elise, you would think I would have been calm. Uh, no. I lost it. Right there in the Chinese Buffet! My healthy little boy was seizing, and it felt like a nightmare. Here he is having his EEG that came back clean.

Posing on the hospital bed before his MRI. Turns out, the test showed that he has a couple of “spots” on his brain that could have caused the seizure. Bottom line: There is a good chance that he will never have another one in his life. He does not have epilepsy as of now. We are just watching him from here on out. No medication needed. It is officially in the past! Moving on...

Clowning Around

At the hospital with Elise in Dallas. We see these clowns all of the time. Even though Elise can’t appreciate their whoopie cushions and jokes, Chris and I have a laugh when we see them.

No comment...

Meeting Thomas!

Ty and I visited Thomas, Sir Topham Hatt, and a real live train conductor in Grapevine! Ty literally thought Thomas was alive and enjoying all of the kids.

Let’s Bowl!!!

We love going bowling as a family. Everyone posed with their ball. Of course, as is typical with my family, most of the poses are questionable!

Chris

Aunt Sissy

GiGi

Popi

Me

Ty

Lane

Elise didn’t bowl, but enjoyed feeling the vibrations of the loud, pounding music!

Reunion

Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to the Goerner Family Reunion near Paige, Tx. Goerner is my maiden name, and we love reconnecting with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents during this time each year.

Elise was wiped out, so she spent the first hour or so in her car seat. There was a strong breeze blowing, so she was very comfortable.

The boys off to fish. All that is missing from this picture is the whistling theme song of “The Andy Griffith Show”. Ty, my 3-yr.-old, is the only one to catch a fish. Kind of embarrassing for Daddy, but who’s counting?

Daddy and son fishing

Lane enjoying the mud...

Nothing like a cactus pose! This is me, my dad, and my brother.

After she woke up, I posed her on the back porch of the century-old farmhouse, and then Aunt Tracy held her. Aunt Tracy is one of only a few people who actually insist on holding her. She is a brave woman! I know Elise loves sitting in her lap.

At the hotel in town, the boys swam in the pool. Elise enjoyed the night air on the side of the pool while the boys played.

From Mud to Food

My dad helped my son, Lane, plant a garden in our backyard several weeks ago. It is amazing to see the transformation from mud pit to food in such a short amount of time. I am already feeding the family from the garden. Goodbye Walmart produce section! Now, if only I could figure out a way to grow junk food, I will be all set!

BEFORE:

Using the planter boxes for a mud pit. Don't ask me what is going on in this picture. I'm sure he had a good excuse!

Green beans galore! It's all I can do to stop the boys from eating them right off the plant! Wash first!!!

We are even growing grapes off of a vine in the backyard.

Proud Farmer Lane!

Thanks for your help, PawPaw...

Ty-Bo’s Latest Obsessions:

Ty has always had an affinity for vehicles. Mail trucks (US Mail, UPS, and FedEx), rescue vehicles (ambulance, police, fire), garbage trucks, and anything to do with construction (mixer, dump truck, crane, bulldozer). I know this is fairly normal for many young kids, but I have a feeling that Ty has taken his interest a little farther than most.

We “visit” the mail trucks where they live (Post Office) every few months.

Here is Ty hanging with the FedEx driver. He can spot a mail truck, FedEx truck, or UPS truck from a mile away. He’s an eagle eye. We, then, have to act equally excited each time he spies one of these trucks out and about…

He wants pictures taken with random police/fire men around town. Here is a police officer nice enough to pose with Ty in Jason’s Deli!

I’m thinking of researching the possibility of having a firetruck or even a garbage truck come to the house for his birthday. I know of a kid who had a recycling truck for his party b/c it didn’t smell like the regular one!

Lane's Latest Obsessions:

What Mama wouldn’t love her son becoming super excited about piano lessons? Lane wants to practice several times a day, and is getting good at it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that his enthusiasm continues!!!

Dragonvale. Dont’ even get me started on this. Lane has never had a video gaming system at home. I have loved that we never started with the whole video game thing. Then came Dragonvale. It is on my iPhone, and he is obsessed with it. To me, it is a mindless waste of time, but I think that’s what my mom said about Super Mario 20 or so years ago!

Elise's Latest Obsessions:

OK, as of the last few months, Elise has become extremely pre-occupied with her tongue. She wants to suck her tongue endlessly. I WILL NOT be posting pictures of her doing this, because it is not particularly "cute". As a matter of fact, it has ruined many pictures that I have tried to take of her. So, I will just put up a pretty picture of her in her lollypop earrings.

She has also picked up a new, but slightly irritating skill. It seems like each time she figures out something new about the world, it ends up being more of a hinderance! The latest is for her to reach up, search around for the shade attached to her wheelchair, grab it, and pull it down. Most of the time she pulls it up and down several times. She's just exploring and learning about her environment, right? Well, most of the time, she ends up getting her arm stuck inside the shade, creating an accident just waiting to happen! We are constantly pulling her arm out of that darn shade! It is funny to see her do it, though. Anytime she figures out something new to do with her hands or arms, it is exciting to watch--even if it's annoying!!!

Mama's Latest Obsession:

I have recently become obsessed with "Dog the Bounty Hunter". It's all I want to watch, and if I'm not watching the show, I'm reading his books. I don't know how I got sucked in to that show, but I LOVE it! I'm pretty sure my family is thinking of planning an intervention!

(Yes, I know it was just cancelled, but I'm not ready to talk about it yet...)

Maybe it’s the thrill of the hunt. Maybe it’s the fast-paced, in your face action. Maybe it serves as an escape from my land of “I can’t even go to the store without putting it on the calendar and planning out the wazoo!”

I mentioned once to mom that I was possibly interested in law enforcement, and she promptly told me that she wouldn’t put a dime toward my college if that is what I decided to do. Hello Marketing Degree!

I am officially a huge dork. My mom left this sign on my doorstep on the morning of my birthday. Wait a minute...maybe that makes her the dork!

Favorite gift of my birthday! If you told me last year that I would be super excited for this, I would have thought you were nuts!

Daddy's Latest Obsessions:

Chris has never and will never become obsessed with anything. He's too normal.

Thanks for catching up on what is going on with Elise and her brothers lately. I will return to posting actual "writings" next...